Recent events have forced me to change direction on my EDC

Llance said:
The only encounter I have had with someone I thought was a danger to me was when I was returning home after attending a meeting in Chicago. I had to stop in the Joliet area for gas and he approached me while I had the nozzle down the fill pipe. It was night time, and even though the station was well lit I didn't feel safe with him coming closer than 7 yards.

Before I left the Chicago area I put my S&W model 59 in a thumb break belt-slide holster then covered both with a loose fitting jacket. The wind was blowing enough to allow the jacket to flap open now and then which was enough for him to see I was armed. I was not brandishing the weapon, only not controlling the jacket such to prevent someone seeing my pistol in it's holster. He didn't come closer than 7 yards and if he had I would have put my hand on the grip and freed the snap. For those who don't know Joliet, IL is a location of one of the state prisons and sometimes, when released, the prisoners take up residence in the town.

I am not okay with becoming a statistic for the crime reports.

I'm not sure which is cheaper, a 9MM bullet or a quick squirt from a fuel nozzle. I can assure you from personal experience, raw gasoline burns for many hours.

Llance
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As an aside, that would be considered brandishing in some states under their CCW statutes. The law in Texas makes interesting reading on that front.
 
Krogen said:
This calls for situational awareness. I know we hear that all the time, but how many of us keep an eye on our rearview mirror? I don't mean just checking for other cars, but the same car hanging behind you. Or even way back behind other cars. If you see something amiss, just drive somewhere else, make some odd turns. Don't go home. Are they still there? If so, you know the answer. Go somewhere secure but don't go home until you shake them.
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The biggest careless-stupid act I see regarding situational awareness is people on their phones.
Watch people at gas stations, markets, parking garages, and other places and you'll see the first thing that most of them do after they get done parking and get out of their cars is to focus on their phones, and many don't even wait until they're done parking, and they do the same thing when they're walking out of someplace and back to their cars.
I see people focused on their phones while walking their dogs or doing other things in public areas. Last summer I watched a neighbor mow his grass while talking on his phone. :rolleyes:
They're just asking to be victimized.
 
J frames... just thinking about the subway guy in New York so many years back. IIRC, 4 perps (armed with screwdrivers etc) and he shot all 4 once each, and then decided to spend his last round on one that was already down. (That last shot cost him a bundle in civil court.)

You could carry an airweight and have 5x38Sp... or you could add 4 oz and carry a Charter Bulldog with 5x44Sp, functionally equivalent to 45ACP.

Sounds like pretty much everyone thinks the G19 is adequate, with 16x9mm. Carrying a CSX gets you 13x9mm in a pocket gun that's almost 5oz lighter, and still reloads quick.

Just choices.
 
"BRANDISHING"

LVSteve said:
As an aside, that would be considered brandishing in some states under their CCW statutes. The law in Texas makes interesting reading on that front.
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In the Peoples Demoncratic Republic of Illinois, the unintentional show of a concealed firearm does not constitute brandishing. If I were to purposely hold the coat open so the concealed firearm could be seen, that would be brandishing. By allowing the wind to open my jacket, and keep it open I was within the law. Did I slightly turn my body so the wind could blow the jacket open? It's entirely possible. Been so long ago I truly don't remember.

Llance
 
I have a friend who said he never felt comfortable with less than a full sized 45acp handgun. But then he admitted that he rarely if ever actually carried a gun when leaving his home. I might be better off carrying my Glock 17 with 17+1 and two full extra mags, just in case I get into an extended shootout with multiple attackers, but I know myself and will not carry that level of firepower. I never feel undergunned carrying a sub compact 9mm with 7+1 rounds, or my compact 9mm with 10+1.

Lately, when leaving my house I often just grab my Ruger LCPII, with 10+1 of 22LR CCI cartridges, and right or wrong, feel comfortable and not particularly vulnerable.
 
Follow up

Sorry got a new phone and just catching up with posts.

I live just outside the Western New York area for those who asked

No I can't move - in a few years I qualify for a pension, my family lives here and my son along with my new grandson will be moving back next year so I have roots here

My wife says I have my head on a swivel whenever we are out walking or shopping so 100% agree about awareness.
When I pump gas I stand about 10 feet behind or in front of my car so I have a full 360 field of view
too many blind spots next to the pump as a few times I've been surprised by a worker who came out of nowhere

In the winter I put my j frame 442 in my coat pocket when gassing up or out for a walk with one hand on it

Normally I carry AIWB.

I've even carried a 66-1 snub that way under a polo shirt and no issues

I'm leaning toward an Sig P365X but waiting for the big April gun show in Hamburg to handle different models. I'm gonna have to look at the Hellcat too.

Most of my local stores don't seem to have many versions to handle. I visited my son last summer and we went into a store in Raleigh. Holy smokes every variation of every major manufacturer- those cases were packed to the gills - all semi auto with one lone case for a handful of revolvers.

And being NY I'm limited to 10 round magazines

Thanks for all the input and suggestions
 
Llance said:
In the Peoples Demoncratic Republic of Illinois, the unintentional show of a concealed firearm does not constitute brandishing. If I were to purposely hold the coat open so the concealed firearm could be seen, that would be brandishing. By allowing the wind to open my jacket, and keep it open I was within the law. Did I slightly turn my body so the wind could blow the jacket open? It's entirely possible. Been so long ago I truly don't remember.

Llance
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You are correct to a point. I fully agree with the strategy as I understand it, and I am inclined to think you actually avoided something. We will never know thankfully.

There is a "dance" we do. I am Scotch-Irish. Marc McYoung calls it the "shadow dance". It is all polite and everything, friendly smiles, innocuous answers to the "interview" questions, all the while moving into better position in case of a fight. You might be interested in better understanding it as it is even more effective without the flash of the weapon. Both parties will pretend that they do not notice what is going on.

As to the legality, please bear in mind, and I ain't tellin' you what to say or not, just bear in mind that henceforth your post here, any post here, can be found publicly and can be used in court to try to prove that you believe in brandishing without looking like you were brandishing. Honestly, I don't think it is a problem, but I say this because I think it applies to the back and forth where some say you were brandishing and others say not.

I intend to use my social media posts in court, which are all so wise and reasonable, to establish my previous mindset, if the worst happens, God forbid, on advice of counsel of course. I am not a lawyer and nothing I say is legal advice!

Good post anyway, I am giving you kudos on your handling of it. Thanks for letting us know about it.

Best to you!
BrianD
"Skill level high, paranoia level low!" (rockquarry)
 
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I'm a whole lot happier with 14 rounds of .380 than I am with five .38s, and have a far better chance of hitting the target with this Beretta 84, too.

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My current EDC is a 640-1 Pro stoked with .38 +p and I rarely, if ever, feel undergunned.

I admit to toying with the idea of acquiring a P365 - I've shot one at the range and enjoyed it.

However, I also have this Kimber Ultra Carry Series I in .45ACP which scratches my itch if feeling the need for additional firepower.

I'm very invested in .38, .357 and .45ACP and wonder about the 'need' to add 9mm to the mix. (I can already hear that 'need' has nothing to do with it...I know, I know...)
 

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SGT ROCK 11B said:
Kevin, if a bad guy or a gang is "targeting" you that is a good point. They are out to get you.

But three dopers out looking for some any cash. You show resistance and they go on to the next guy/gal. I was at a Gas Station and some hoodlums pulled adjacent to my car, idling and they say something and I answered "--- ---- --" and they drove away.

You ever point a handgun at five thugs? Usually the ones who wet themselves will comply and surrender and the others will run away. JMHO, Sarge
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That quote is very similar to a Tom Cruise quote in Jack Reacher.
 
I'm also a P365 club member. Bought my first, the original 10-round version a couple of years ago. Its been trouble free. I was a Glock, then M&P fan boy for a long time, but the 365 just plain shoots better for me. I was going to buy a second original model but ended up getting a great deal on a 365XL for the same price. Longer grip, slightly longer slide, flat trigger - shoots very pleasantly for a micro 9. My first one is likely going to get a flat trigger. I'd bought a 17-round mag off a guy who hadn't shot it much. He had an XL and couldn't find the other grip adapters. My original 365 did not like that mag. Since its set up for an XL, it runs like it was made for it. I was hesitant about buying more 17-round mags, but I may. Took the XL to a class last week and it ran flawlessly.

The new H&K CC9 is also worth a look. Not as "accessorized" as the Sigs, but I hear good things about them from the few who've managed to acquire them. I handled and dry fired one recently. The trigger is also pretty decent.
 
I was in Albuquerque a couple of days ago in the 'student ghetto' near UNM waiting for a meeting. While waiting in my vehicle, a whacko wearing pants on his head, covered in tattoos, and barefoot, started screaming at EMS personnel treating a prostrate street person 50-60 meters behind me. He started up the middle of the street and passed by while on his way to a nearby parking lot, still screaming and flailing his arms. No biggie, as he was never closer than 10-15 feet and utterly unfocused on anything.

Eventually the police stopped him and sacked him up (screaming and struggling), likely to take him into protective custody.

It was calming to know I had a ready option if the whacko suddenly tried to do something stupid to my wife or to me.
 
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I own and regularly shoot two Sig 365's. But I'm not particularly worried about being out gunned either. I've been training seriously for 52 years with a J frame. My carry of choice is a 442. I shoot it well and I'm very comfortable with it. After working in a drug infested inner city for 3 decades I'm pretty confident with my choice.

Why? Because I'm no longer kicking in doors and making felony arrests. There's a huge difference in responding to twenty calls a night and being a gray haired geezer who all of a sudden pulls a .38 out of nowhere. SURPRISE. Thugs are cowards looking for an easy hit. Don't kid yourself, if you had to shoot one, all you would see afterwards is the smoke from his buddies sneakers running away.
 
After my shoulder injury, the best I could do was my G42. About 2 months after the surgery, I did my LEOSA qual with my usual suspects (Shield 4'; Wilson KZ9; S%W M66). The shooting was ok, but the draw stroke was ... ugly. The pocket carried G42 in a Mika holster/dedicated pocket is a lot easier to draw with the shoulder being months from recovery.

First steps, avoid dumb places. Second, don't allow yourself to be distracted by silly stuff, like your phone. Never ever wear earbuds and the like except as needed to use the phone hands free. Have a good idea of where you can buy gas and the like without undue risk. I don't go out after dark now, unless the dog needs a quick walk.

Some my options are reduced by prepping for a short notice trip to Spokane for transplant. Most of my guns were put in the safe when we almost got summoned. I make adjustments around that. Now That I am retired, I don't leave the house very often, and it does not bother me.
 
In my area, bad guys often travel in packs and are not afraid to get into a gunfight with you, me or the cops. The system protects them and they know it. Several that I dealt with in my job bragged that they had (certain elected officials) in their pocket and would be out on the street within hours and they were right in every case.

Yes, most still run when confronted...but spray rounds downrange as they run in every direction. This is starting to change...some of the gangs are beginning to act like something you would see in a third world death squad.

I trust my gut and carry what my instinct tells me...some days it might be a pocket pistol, a snub nosed revolver, or something bigger. It depends on what I am doing and where I am going. I hope to never have to clear leather but I have come close.
 
smoothshooter said:
Out of a group of 4 or 5 thugs, how many do you think you are going to have to shoot? Highly likely that if you shoot one or two, (or even shoot and miss ) the others will skedaddle.
What town do you live in/by ?
😆
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Night roamers are cowards, that is why they don't do their dirty deeds in daylight. Aerate the easiest target first and the rest will get the message that you ain't there to play. I won't shoot someone over stealing my stuff, I can replace stuff, A lawnmower or a car aint that big a deal. just don't threaten my or my wife's health and safety.

Although I live in a high-crime county, with the closest cop usually 10-15 miles away, and in the woods, unseen from the road, or neighbors, I sleep well at night because I am confident that my big dog, that sleeps in my bedroom will give me plenty of notice in time to deal with a serious threat. She alarms to anything approaching the house and can hear a gnat fart. Never underestimate the value of a dog; they are more reliable, and more feared by bad guys than any alarm system.

If the need ever arises, my bedside gun is not a pistol but a short-barreled .12 ga. 870 with an extended magazine full of #1 buck and attached to the wall with a magnet. I don't have to worry about unintended targets on the other side of the wall as it is only the three of us. The old 870 will potentially nip a problem in the bud. (and yes, I know how to patch drywall. ;)
 
My P365 X MACRO TACOPS. I really like carrying this pistol. 17 rounds +1 in a super slim package. Carrying extra mags is easy. Magwell came standard. Optics cut. I carry it when I need to have a bit more concealable pistol. It was cheaper than the standard Comped Macro and it came with 5 magazines total. Win/win
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Smoke said:
I can't think of a single encounter I've had with a (suspected) criminal that wasn't directly related to working as a Security Guard and I think that had a lot to do with the fact that most of the time they had me working in stupid places at stupid times and watching over stupid people.
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Off topic.
You may have met my soon-to-be ex son-in-law at work in CS.
He told me, bragged actually, about a security company gig where he'd take the security company car off property to sneak up behind people parked and hit the flashing lights to scare them.
He couldn't understand why:
1) His senior co-worker wanted no part of it.
2) No LE agency would hire him.
 
Autonomous said:
Off topic.
You may have met my soon-to-be ex son-in-law at work in CS.
He told me, bragged actually, about a security company gig where he'd take the security company car off property to sneak up behind people parked and hit the flashing lights to scare them.
He couldn't understand why:
1) His senior co-worker wanted no part of it.
2) No LE agency would hire him.
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I quit Allied Universal and retired 4 years ago.
 
My opinion hasn't changed since March.

I still feel most comfortable with 10 plus rounds. I still most often carry a Glock 19. I still think OC is a better deterrent than a gun. And I still think being off the street by 9PM will keep you safer than any gun.

What has changed is my circumstances. On July 14th we're moving to the Eastern edge of El Paso County and we won't be going West of Falcon unless we have no other option.

That's going to have a much greater impact on our safety than ANY gun I happen to be carrying.
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Rick H. said:
Man oh man some people blur the lines of what a EDC/CCW is actually for. In a way I dislike these kinds of threads because rarely is good information given and little common sense is shown. Before you worry about what newest and bestest high cap pistol you are going to carry worry more about your situational awareness. Pharmer is on the right track and a few others. If you are walking out to your car do you pay any attention to who is following you? If you leave a store or restaurant do you look in your rear view mirror to see if someone is tagging along with you? If you are sitting in an eating establishment do you sit so you can see the door? Do you know where the next best exit is for a quick escape? If on foot do you walk with a purpose or do you shuffle along like Joe Biden? Do you ever come to a stop when walking and quickly turn around to see who is behind you, or at least take a good look over your shoulder? When you return home do you stop for a second in your driveway and look at your house before pulling into your garage? Does your house look the same as when you left? If not are you going to enter your house or call the police for assistance?

When I was rookie cop my FTO had me immediately start playing the "what if" game and almost 50 years later I still play it. What if you pull into a gas station late at night and its supposed to be open, but you don't see a clerk? Do you wait until you see the clerk or just jump out of your car and start gassing it up? What if you come home after a night out with the wife and you find your garage door partially open and you know you didn't leave it that way? If you have a remote garage door opener do you wait to make sure the garage door closed all the way before you leave? When I take my garbage cans out at night and I go back in the garage, before I go in the house I close the garage door and watch it close to make sure no one sneaks in after me. Do you watch your immediate area around your home for strange parked cars? Sure it could be someone at a neighbors house, but there's no harm in being cautious. How about a strange car that passes your house several times? Is he looking for an address or casing for a burglary or worse? What if he is targeting your house? I even write down license plate numbers of cars and a quick description of them when I am coming and going from my house or snap a quick pic of the vehicle with my phone. When you are going to the range do you load your stuff up in your vehicle in plain view of everyone, or do you load up in the garage with the door closed? Out of sight, out of mind. I don't need to telegraph to everyone that I have firearms at my residence. If someone knocks on your door do you just blindly open the door up to them? Or do you check them out a bit before opening the door? Peep-holes are great for this as well as door bell cameras. Just don't blindly open your door to someone you don't know. Call me an extremist, but I always have a pistol close at hand even at home.

There's a million things you can do to make yourself less vulnerable to opportunists and that's what most bad guys are. If four guys with hoods on are walking towards you on a city street jay-walk if you have to to the other side of the street, or go into an open business and let them pass. Discretion is the better part of valor. If something bad happens and the shooting starts don't worry about returning fire, get behind cover! Once you have cover then worry about getting your weapon out. If you have no cover, which is rare, go prone or kneel. Don't just stand there like a fence post exchanging lead with the bad guys. Facts are facts and most bad guys have no desire to be shot and once they see you are armed they will take off at a run. The biggest problem I see today is having higher capacity firearms means you have the ability to waste more ammunition. Point shooting is great if you are trained in it, but even if you are there is a time when you have to use your sights. Many still claim they don't like optics, but I love them. I have them on my EDC pistols and have qualified with them for three years now and I won't go back to irons. Once you get used to a red dot you will understand why I like them. Sure, sure they make the weapon a bit bigger, but so what? The positive benefits of a red dot far outweigh the negative aspects especially with aging eyes. Even though I have used a red dot for several years now I am still amazed at how well I shoot with them versus iron sights. I don't co-witness my optic sights either. Doing so clutters up my optic window so I avoid doing so. A little common sense, situational awareness and playing the "what if" game will go a long way to keeping you safe and sound. Some people could carry a belt-fed machine gun and it wouldn't make them any safer.

Rick H.
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This is the voice of reason talking, folks, and "a word to the wise is sufficient", as an old teacher of mine used to say. Well said, sir.
 
Autonomous said:
He regaled me with this gem before then.

PS, congrats on retirement!.
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I mean, if his senior officer was in the car with him and allowed the behavior it's not only the STB EX-son-in-law's fault.

I worked for HSS, G4S and Allied. All three of them had trackers in the vehicles. Allied had a dash cam in the vehicle. So whoever you're exxon-in-law was working for it wasn't Allied. Because he would have been fired the second or third time that happened.
 
Thanks for the insight. I do not know who he was working for.

FWIW I had a short gig with a small fly-by-night security company that worked sawmills in the PNW.
The guards were either retired LE that were bored and/or stretching their retirement, or young knuckleheads like me that only wanted beer and gas money.
 
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